Aftershock
by MelodiousVengeance
Summary: A series of oneshots proceeding the season finale.


**A/N: Hey guys, its Vengeance. So I've been on a real Bitten kick lately and I figured I'd try something a little new, well new to me. This is going to be a series of one shots, proceeding the season finale, they will be in chronological order, and will feature everyone most likely. So I hope you enjoy so we can all get through this hiatus together. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Bitten.**

As her own screams finished Elena found there was still a great ringing in her ears. There were tears brimming in her eyes, giving the illusion she was drowning, slowly sinking below the ocean waves to be crushed by unimaginable pressure. A pressure so strong she could feel her chest tightening, causing her to take quick rasping breaths in an attempt to fill her lungs. She moved back further until she was pressed tightly into the wall, as if being able to physically move the wall back would help prove to her that this was all just some terrible nightmare.

Soon Elena felt a new pressure pressing on her chest, this one however was different from the crushing weight of grief and guilt that she had felt only moments before, though it had seemed so much longer to her. She knew it was Jeremy holding her to his chest, attempting to comfort her like he might a child just woken from a nightmare, if only that were the case. Elena still had her eyes glued to the sightless eyes of Philip's head.

Everything felt as if it were moving at a snail's pace around her. Seconds felt like hours, minute's years. She knew it couldn't be the case though because Jeremy would have come running as soon as she had screamed and she could now sense another presence, Clay. The second a sound had escaped her lips she was sure he was already half way to the house. The only reason she was in Jeremy's arms and not his was the simple fact that Jeremy had been closer to her bedroom when she had found the head, whereas Clay had been outside, probably still chopping wood as he waited for her.

Elena finally came up from t ocean's depths as Clay moved to stand in front of her, effectively blocking Philip from her view. There was a pronounced look of worry on Clay's face, as well as fear, why the fear, Elena couldn't work out in her current state.

"He's dead," she finally managed to say those words as she clung to Jeremy finally turning her head to bury it into his neck, not caring that she was no longer a child. She could feel him rubbing her back in a soothing motion, his muscles shifting against her as he moved to pull her more tightly against him. She didn't hear any words but she knew that her Alpha was having a silent conversation with Clay, and within moments she could hear movement about the room.

Clay was taking Philip's head away. They were going to _deal _with him.

Elena managed to pull herself away from Jeremy and move to the door before Clay was finished wrapping her now bloody sheet around the head. "What are you going to do with him? He has a family, they're good people. They deserve to know what happened to him." There was so much more Elena wanted to say. The fact that she was silently blaming herself hung freely in the air, still unsaid, yet as obvious as if she had yelled it form the very stops of Stonehaven.

Elena wanted to scream again, this time in anger as Clay looked to Jeremy at a loss as to what to do. Elena moved her gaze from Clay to Jeremy, her eyes red and puffy, but a look of determination on her face that both men knew they had to no chance of fighting.

Slowly with hands raised in surrender Jeremy moved back to Elena, rubbing his hands up and down her forearms, attempting to calm her down. "We aren't doing anything with him at the moment. We're just moving his head from your room. We can discuss what to do, as a pack, when you are calmed down, alright?" Jeremy questioned.

Elena turned her head a little, looking to Clay who merely nodded, going along with Jeremy's orders. Finally Elena nodded and moved from the doorway, allowing Clay to brush past, and out of the room. She knew they were merely trying to help, they were taking away Philip's head so she wouldn't have to stare at it, so there was no remaining evidence that she had caused yet another death. It was like they were trying to hide some curse, it seemed that whenever something in her life was finally starting to go right, it took a sharp left and started rolling downhill like the snow of an avalanche.

"Who would do something like this?" Elena questioned, wrapping her arms across her chest as tight as she was able with Jeremy's hands still clasping her upper arms. She felt caged, wanting nothing more than to pace the room, to tear every last stitch of clothing off her body, remove the ring that now felt like it was fresh out of a forge, searing her flesh, and go for a run. She didn't want to be here, but she wanted answers and she knew there was still too much to do with the battle with the mutts still freshly hanging over Stonehaven.

"This is beyond Santos. Maybe Lebanc?" Elena questioned, looking to Jeremy for the answers she so desperately needed. She had no idea why she was such an interest to these mutts, she had done nothing worse than Clay. As much as she admittedly loved him, she knew he had done horrendous things while keeping mutts in line, why they would take their wrath out on her rather than him was beyond her ability to comprehend at this stage

"It was my father," Jeremy told her, stepping a few steps away. Elena appreciated the space, knowing full well what he was doing. Just a short while ago he had informed her that Malcolm Danvers was dead. Suddenly this evil man was risen from the grave, murdering a man she had loved and leaving his head on her bed for her to find? None of that made sense, how could Malcolm have done this if he was dead? Why would Jeremy tell her that Malcolm was dead if he were indeed alive and running about ruining all of their lives?

"How?" Elena asked, her voice now small in her bewilderment. Even as she said the words, she could clearly read on Jeremy's face that he had as much idea as she did. Still the questioned remained between them, if there was ever a time in while Elena deserved to know everything Jeremy did about a situation, this was it.

"I don't know. I found him walking down the stairs as we were cleaning up the mess the mutt's had made. He fooled us all," Jeremy explained. Elena could hear the pain in his voice. She had been around Jeremy long enough to know that he was blaming himself for Philip's death almost as much as she was. She had wanted to make sure he was safe, he was the one who had told her he was dead, that he wasn't going to be a problem. In the end it turned out that Malcolm Danvers was their number one problem.

"I'll kill him. I don't care he's your father, I will kill him," Elena finally stated, her voice hard, her hands curling into fists. She watched as Jeremy nodded and walked towards her again, placing his hand on the back of his head to pull him towards her, placing a gentle kiss to her forehead.

"I know you will," there was no hint of remorse in his voice, giving Elena even more conviction. A man whose own son was calm about his impending death was not a man who deserved the breath that filled his lungs.

Jeremy moved passed her saying something under his breath as he went.

After Jeremy was in the hall, Elena wracked her brain, repeating the sounds over and over in her head, attempting to decipher the mumbled mess, after a few moments, Jeremy's words became clear, bringing a small tentative smile to her face.

"If I don't kill him first."


End file.
